Talks surrounding the future of Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay continue as he eyes his next contest. In a recent Rx Muscle YouTube video, Chris Aceto opened up on why it’s useless for Ramy to entertain another competition aside from the 2024 Mr. Olympia.
Having reached the top of the Open class mountain with staggering size and fullness, it didn’t take Big Ramy long to assert himself as a dominant champion. He received a special invite for the 2020 Mr. Olympia where he captured his first Sandow trophy against Brandon Curry and Hadi Choopan.
In 2021, Big Ramy’s size and added detail proved to be a winning combination as he became a two-time Mr. Olympia titleholder. Despite his status as a favorite before 2022 Mr. Olympia, Big Ramy was out-gunned, dropping to fifth place. Weeks later, he bounced back in fourth at the 2023 Arnold Classic before declaring a temporary hiatus.
In the meantime, Ramy has undergone a much-needed stem cell therapy procedure in hopes of revitalizing his lagging body parts. With time to recover, coach Chris Aceto weighed Ramy’s options ahead of his upcoming contest season.
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“It’s Useless To Do Another Show, Period” – Chris Aceto Says Big Ramy Should Only Focus on 2024 Mr. Olympia
In the eyes of Chris Aceto, it makes zero sense for Big Ramy to attempt any show other than the 2024 Mr. Olympia.
“Olympia [is what Ramy should do next]. No, Olympia. It’s useless to do another show, period,” said Chris Aceto.
“He’s – it’s like saying Michal Jackson is making a comeback, where is he going to play, should he play in Maine where I live or should he play at the Madison Square Garden.”
When asked if Ramy could win back Olympia gold, Aceto said the following:
“Can he win the Olympia again or is he past his prime?” asks Dave Palumbo.
“It depends on the way he looks. It depends on the way he looks. Simple as that. It depends on the way other people look.”
Even though Ramy has come up short lately, Aceto underlined that his size and freak factor are weapons that neither Hadi Choopan nor Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford boast.
“Well, a great Ramy package does this on stage, it makes the guys who got first and second look small. That’s just a fact. In terms of width and in terms of freak factor, that is a fact. But that’s only one facet of the show, you know, size. But I’m just saying it can – Ramy is always going to look different than Derek and Hadi which means you look bigger.”
Taking his width and leg size into account, Chris Aceto argued that Big Ramy could still be in the running for gold if/when he returns to the 2024 Mr. Olympia stage.
“He’s going to look wider, clearly he’s wider right, clearly his legs are like, I mean if you’re the widest guy on stage and your legs are the biggest legs on stage, just remove detail from it and just talk about width and size, you’re in the running.”
Before calling it a day, Aceto mentioned that he would work with Ramy given their history.
“Yeah [I’d work with him],” said Aceto. “Because I love Ramy. Yeah, he’s the best.”
“Who doesn’t have a good relationship with him? You know,” adds Aceto.
Chris Aceto wasn’t the only established bodybuilding veteran to assess the future of Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay. Former 1983 Mr. Olympia Samir Bannout also took a closer look at the Egyptian’s potential in 2024. Following Ramy’s stem cell therapy, Bannout expressed that the treatment worked for the former champion, adding that he seemed healthier.
It remains to be seen if Big Ramy will consider entering the 2024 Arnold Classic on short notice similar to his move last year. Should he remain on the sidelines, fans look forward to seeing Ramy back on stage at the 2024 Mr. Olympia’s 60th anniversary, set for Las Vegas, Nevada October 10-13.
Watch the full video from the RxMuscle YouTube channel below:
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